The overall goal of the MSM RISE Program is to increase the number of students from under-represented groups who successfully complete Ph.D. degree programs in biomedical and behavioral research, and to enhance the research training output of MSM in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The specific goals and objectives of the MSM RISE Program are: Goal #1 - Support predoctoral graduate students in completing the Ph.D. Program with a skill/knowledge set that will make them competitive for research-based postdoctoral and research grant support. This goal will be addressed with the following objectives: 1) Provide development activities that improve scientific writing, critical thinking an communication skills; 2) Utilize the breadth and strength of the MSM research enterprise to enhance training of predoctoral students; 3) Provide training that will enhance students' understanding of using bioinformatics in research. Goal #2 - Support Masters graduate students in developing skill sets competitive for Ph.D. programs. The following objectives will address this goal: 1) Provide individual tutorial support and student development activities to enhance writing, critical thinking and communication skills; 2) Provide research training opportunities for Master students with highly productive research mentors; 3) Design practical workshop series focused on preparing Master students to pursue Ph.D. training opportunities. Goal #3 - Establish a RISE Graduate Student Learning Community that will enhance the graduate experience for all RISE students. This goal is addressed by the following objectives: 1) Establish a Peer-to-Peer mentoring and Mentor-Mentee Networking Program; 2) Expand leadership development activities; 3) Continue the State of the Science and the Career Development Seminar Series, and initiate a Student Research Seminar Series. The anticipated miles stones include: a clear improvement in the quality of student initiated abstracts; show increased numbers of published manuscripts; achieve an average graduation rate of 90%, with an average of 80% of RISE graduates entering research-based postdoctoral fellowships; increased use of bioinformatics software in research; and students will publish manuscripts that contain bioinformatics-generated data.